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Cubs Reportedly Finalize Deal With Veteran Slugger

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI | By Brad Wakai | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 12:00 PM ET

There aren't many ways for contenders to upgrade their rosters heading into the month of September, but the Chicago Cubs might have just done that.

First reported by Jon Heyman of The New York Post and then confirmed by Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, the Cubs are signing veteran slugger Carlos Santana for the rest of the season, giving them another power-hitting threat and first baseman for the stretch run.

Santana, who was drawing interest from multiple teams around the league following his release by the Cleveland Guardians on Aug. 28, will now be eligible for Chicago's postseason roster because he signed before the Sept. 1 cutoff date.

The Cubs are finalizing a deal with Carlos Santana, per source confirming report by @JonHeyman. The Guardians recently released the 39-year-old first baseman so that he could pursue an opportunity with a playoff contender.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) August 31, 2025

Santana was not able to keep up his high level of play this year with the Guardians. Across 116 games, he slashed .225/.316/.333 with 11 home runs, 52 RBI and an OPS+ of 81 that's 19 points below the league average.

While that might be expected from someone who is 39 years old, he was coming off three straight seasons where he was right at or above the league average in OPS+ while hitting 19-plus homers in each campaign.

Nonetheless, the switch hitter is still someone who teams wanted because he is a great clubhouse presence. Adding him to the mix at this stage of the season injects some different energy into a team that is trying to build momentum heading into the most important stretch of the year.

How Will Carlos Santana Impact the Cubs?

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This is an interesting move only because the Cubs appear to have their long-term first baseman on the roster already in Michael Busch. But with Busch being a left-handed hitter, adding Santana to help with matchups is not a bad thing heading into the playoffs.

Santana also has experience playing under manager Craig Counsell from their time together with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023. He was acquired ahead of the trade deadline and finished with 11 home runs and 33 RBI across 52 regular season games before going 2-for-7 with an RBI in their two playoff games.

How much the 39-year-old plays isn't quite clear. Because he hasn't had a great showing this season, platooning him and Busch seems like it would be a mistake. So using Santana to give Busch some more time off before the calendar flips to October while also using him in pinch-hitting spots seems like that is going to be how he's deployed most often.

This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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